To Eat, Or Not to Eat, Or What to Eat - That is the Question

I've spent a lot of time this past year learning about health, food, nutrition and allergies.  I've worked with several specialists, and each one seems to contradict the one before.  Here are some examples.

Nutritionist - says avoid wheat and dairy, eat only raw nuts, lots of sea vegetables and raw green drinks - prescribes an herb that the acupuncturist says not to take

Acupuncturist (who I have worked with longer than anyone) - says avoid dairy, very bad except for yogurt - wheat ok - says not to take the herb the natural health doctor has prescribed 

Natural health doctor - told me I was sensitive to wheat, dairy, and mold - we're working on getting rid of the sensitivity, but I don't know what the process is called.  Also has me completely paranoid about my son's vaccinations, but that is another blog.

Ayurvedic Indian Doctor - wheat is fine, dairy is fine if it's warm or at room temperature, no sea vegetables (not local), no raw foods for now (difficult to digest), roasted nuts are better than raw.

I guess what I'm going to do is take bits and pieces from everyone's suggestions, and trust my intuition about what to eat.  In the past I have craved things that are exactly what I should be eating for their healing properties at the right time.  Intuitively, I think the sea vegetables are fine, I like the raw nuts better, and I don't think the wheat makes me feel great.  Cheese is a definite no no, much as I love it.  But just like anything, you learn to live without it.  I remember when I first decided to become a vegetarian, I thought I'd never stop craving meat.  Now I can't imagine eating it again.  The same thing happened when I gave up cheese.  I thought I would never enjoy food again, as most of what I ate was either smothered with cheese or served with a side of cheese.  

The Indian Dr. says that once we get rid of the toxins in my body then I should be able to eat anything without the allergic reaction.  Since my allergies started at age 30 and worsened every year ( after several years of not being a healthy vegetarian), I think maybe she's right.  She says that the reason most people have a problem with dairy is that they eat/drink it cold right out of the fridge.  I don't remember why, but she said if you warm it first it shouldn't be a problem.  Right now I'm trying an Ayurveda suggestion that has worked wonders for my sleep.  I drink a glass of warm milk with 1/2 teaspoon of ghee and a pinch of turmeric right before bed each night.  Ghee is the Indian miracle food, and turmeric is so good for you I want to put it on everything.

Each night I have had this to drink, I have slept straight through the night and the alarm clock barely wakes me up.  Previously, I would often wake in the middle of the night to get up and use the bathroom.  Last night I was in the hotel and I didn't have milk.  I thought I was tired enough to sleep without it, but I slept very fitfully last night, waking up several times.  Give it a try if you have trouble sleeping, I'd be interested to hear if it works for you.

Am I sorry that I have worked with several different people that all give me different suggestions?  Absolutely not.  I learn something from each and every one of them.  It's now up to me to figure out what works for me and what doesn't.  And the benefit to all of this is that I'm learning to trust my intuition more.  It always amazes me when I start craving and eating xxxxx, and then I go to the acupuncturist and she says, "try eating xxxxx for your condition."  The body really does know what it needs if we learn how to tune in and listen.